Serotonin Eatery, Exercise & Education
52 Madden Grove, Burnley
October 2015
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Favourite dishes
The Nutrition Bomb: a poached egg, broccoli, alkalizing greens, sprouts, house-made hummus, cold roast vegies (including sweet potato), nuts, seeds, and pickled powerkraut
Positive Pancakes: organic banana flour pancakes with house-made banana ice cream, mixed berries, serotonin hung yoghurt balls, roasted almonds, and organic agave syrup.
Golden Latte: organic house-made turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper served with almond milk
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A beautifully bright and airy space filled with photography-friendly natural light… White marble table tops paired with stunning golden cutlery… Rainbow dishes positively bursting with health, colour and flavour to be enjoyed with immune-boosting lattes that smile back at you.. And, wait for it, seating options that include Japanese-style cushion-covered lounges and indoor SWINGS….??! I know, it sounds almost too outrageous to be anything other than one of my fanatical foodie dreams. (Yes, I am ashamed to admit, I sometimes have fanatical foodie dreams.) Lucky for us, thanks to the legendary Emily Hazell, Serotonin Eatery, Exercise and Education is an actual place nestled on a quaint little corner in Burnley. Unsurprisingly, I’ve been all over it like a rash since its opening earlier this year.
Anyone who knows me would agree that hunger, health and happiness are among the main themes of my life. In Serotonin, I have found a sanctuary that takes care of all three. Before you even get to food, you are welcomed by charming staff into a sleek, minimalist and infinitely photogenic environment filled with energising bursts of yellow. Perusing the drinks list, you can see the innovative, educative and health-promoting philosophy behind the menu with options like the signature golden turmeric latte or the cacao coconut latte. As for the food, it’s like Emily crawled into my brain and extracted everything I would ever want to eat and then made it beautiful, healthy and delicious. With sweet, savoury, light, more substantial, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options, all bases are more than covered. I had almost worked my way through them all when the new Spring Menu launched recently with another array of deliciousness. Having your hunger satisfied in a healthy way in a beautiful environment with wonderful service? How could you not leave happy!?
New Spring Menu: Fruity Chia Pudding (organic vanilla + coconut milk soaked chia seeds with kiwi, strawberry, blueberries and topped with passionfruit)
New Spring Menu: Mexican Corn Fritters (four corn fritters with guacamole, corn on the cob, fresh cherry tomatoes, topped with lime salted popped corn and eggs)
But Emily didn’t want to leave our happiness levels to chance – the most wonderful and unique feature of this place is that it actually engages with the science of happiness. The menu is specifically designed based on foods that regulate neurotransmitters and hormone activity in our bodies to keep our mood and gut happy. Each dish incorporates all colours of the rainbow reflecting a balanced intake of fruits and vegetables to further increase our levels of happiness. Sometimes when you mention “healthy food options”, people think of leaving the table with unstimulated palates from tasteless food or dissatisfied tummies from the insubstantial nature/sizing of the meals. I can assure you that you will never leave a Serotonin table that way! Especially when you can finish things off with a range of incredible organise raw desserts with flavour that belies their healthy composition, you will always leave this place feeling like you did your body, mind and soul a favour. My only qualm, which is inevitable and completely understandable, is the lengthy wait for a table at peak times. Such is the challenge of finding a place that you adore – other people are likely to adore it too!
New Spring Menu: Deconstructed sushi (brown rice + quinoa bed, with pickled ginger, daikon, raw spiralised carrot, capsicum, shredded cucumber, organic Braggs liquid aminos soy protein, fresh wasabi + wasabi peas)
All time favourite: The Nutrition Bomb
As if all this wasn’t already enough, Serotonin Eatery also extends to Education and Exercise. Serotonin Exercise is a boutique personal-training studio located next to the studio. Serotonin Education consists of seminars designed to enhance people’s understanding of how bodily systems regulate our moods. The team are holistically committed to putting happiness first and helping all of us do so too. You can see why I’m obsessed with the place! If not just for my favourite dish, The Nutrition Bomb, I keep coming back for the smile I always leave with. Unlike many cafes around the place, Emily is always on the floor chatting to her customers openly and we always have a good pow wow. Her partner Dan is also often in the thick of it with her and their lovely staff are as enthusiastic and excited about their work as they are. On top of all of that, you can generally get a 4 hour park – an absolute luxury in Melbourne where most places worth going involve an annoying obstacle of driving around for 25 minutes beforehand before settling on a park about 25 minutes away. It’s just an overall haven of happiness and I highly recommend a visit!
New Spring Menu: Simple Seed raw treats
New Spring Menu: Native Wattleseed + Cacao Cereal (rolled oats, specialty espresso coffee, cacao powder, native wattleseed, vanilla beans, organic orange juice, hazelnuts, almonds, flaked coconut serviced with organic coconut milk + fruits)
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@serotonindealer
www.serotonindealer.com.au